Lakes Region in WWII

WinnDixie · 05-02-2009, 10:33 PM

I was four when Pearl Harbor happened. Lived in a very small town (probably 600) a few miles up the road near the Connecticut River. A bit north of the Lakes Region, but the story is great...hope you'll let me tell it. Everyone was deadly serious about security after Pearl Harbor and we were very united. Everyone had their share to do. My mother...young at the time..shared "Outpost Duty" with one of her friends. It entailed being in a fire tower up on a hill, looking out for enemy planes. Not sure if they had pictures to go by, or what. In retrospect it wouldn't seem very likely that such planes would come over that particular area...but...still, the effort was made. Her friend's fondest part of this was to blow over a coke bottle(the old green glass ones), making that sound you get...kind of low and eery. It would attract all the cows who were pastured just below the tower, and they would cluster right at the foot of it. My mother was scared to death of them...to the delight of her friend. It would take a miracle to get my mother down from the tower. She was so spooked the friend had to walk her home, and it was dark. They had to go by the cemetery. One of those nights my father hid behind a stone and jumped out at them like a ghost. The screaming was noteworthy...bringing everybody out of their houses, thinking " Good grief, they ARE invading"!! In the end, it was one of the not too common lighter events of that time.

05-02-2009, 10:33 PM	#5
WinnDixie Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 239 Thanks: 44 Thanked 75 Times in 17 Posts	memories of a kid I was four when Pearl Harbor happened. Lived in a very small town (probably 600) a few miles up the road near the Connecticut River. A bit north of the Lakes Region, but the story is great...hope you'll let me tell it. Everyone was deadly serious about security after Pearl Harbor and we were very united. Everyone had their share to do. My mother...young at the time..shared "Outpost Duty" with one of her friends. It entailed being in a fire tower up on a hill, looking out for enemy planes. Not sure if they had pictures to go by, or what. In retrospect it wouldn't seem very likely that such planes would come over that particular area...but...still, the effort was made. Her friend's fondest part of this was to blow over a coke bottle(the old green glass ones), making that sound you get...kind of low and eery. It would attract all the cows who were pastured just below the tower, and they would cluster right at the foot of it. My mother was scared to death of them...to the delight of her friend. It would take a miracle to get my mother down from the tower. She was so spooked the friend had to walk her home, and it was dark. They had to go by the cemetery. One of those nights my father hid behind a stone and jumped out at them like a ghost. The screaming was noteworthy...bringing everybody out of their houses, thinking " Good grief, they ARE invading"!! In the end, it was one of the not too common lighter events of that time.